On Sunday, February 5, 2023, the Mineola Choral Society of Long Island will present a celebratory concert to mark its 75th concert season.

The concert will be at 3:00 pm at Corpus Christ RC Church, 155 Garfield Ave, Mineola. The centerpiece of the program will be Vivaldi’s “Gloria” with additional pieces showcasing a range of choral styles and composers and a special appearance by the Mineola High School A Capella Choir. Tickets are $25 and are available through the website: www.mineolachoralsociety.org/tickets.html and at the door.

Advance sale tickets (before January 25) at $20 are available from MCS members or by calling 516-294-1175.
From its founding in 1947 as a community-based chorus, to its present membership of over 80 singers from more than 30 Long Island communities (from Brooklyn to West Islip), MCS has remained true to its core mission, bringing amateur singers together for weekly rehearsals in a congenial atmosphere, presenting two concerts with full orchestra and professional soloists each season.

Over the years the group has performed classical masterworks, Broadway and American Songbook favorites and choral works in a broad range of styles. In early 2020 when the COVID pandemic brought choral singing into the news as a potential “superspreader,” MCS was challenged to stay together and keep the organization strong through a hiatus that lasted almost two years. “We Zoomed together, some of us found virtual choruses to help fill the gap, and our Board strategized on how to return to rehearsals and performance safely, by following CDC guidelines and tapping the experience of other choral groups” explained Board President Karen Zalewski.
Early in 2022 MCS began rehearsing again – masked and with distanced seating and shorter rehearsal time – and presented a successful concert in May 2022 entitled “Our Prayer for Peace.” The program acknowledged the losses of the pandemic and the tragedy of the war in Ukraine with performances of the Mozart Requiem, the premier of an original piece, “Lamentations” by the Choral Society’s conductor of sixteen years, Thomas W. Jones, and choruses from Handel’s “Messiah.” Mr. Jones’ retirement at the end of that season initiated a search for a new director.
In September MCS began its 75th anniversary season joined by two exceptional musicians: Conductor and Artistic Director Meg Messina and Accompanist Karen Faust Baer. “While we are one group among many on Long Island, our success in staying together and growing is, I believe, exceptional” said Board Treasurer and long-time member George Graf. “We were fifty singers for the May concert, and have now restored and expanded our membership, welcoming returnees and new singers, including former students of Dr. Messina, who has led the Mineola High School choral program since 2002.”

Graf and his wife Diane have been members of MCS for over forty years, and according to Diane Graf “the incredible support MCS has had from members, friends and businesses from across Long Island – and of course audiences – has helped us reach this milestone with the largest and strongest group of singers we have ever had.”